"Being a rockstar is no easy task. Being a changeling probably doesn't help. My name? My name is Sulfer.
My life would most likely be unbearable to many. A life filled with so many... Events. These events usually never good. My music the one escape from it all. A way to keep my will strong. Much like pillars reinforce a building's stability."
I climbed further onto the stage, approaching the mic stand where I would no doubt place the microphone I held in my, albeit somewhat limited, magic. As center stage approached, I looked out to the crowd. About a thousand, if not more, ponies of all sorts came into view. Applause. Ah... Such a sweet sound. Good thing I haven't eaten today. I was starving.
Lust and Love rolled off the crowd in waves. A feast fitting a king. But unlike the king, I eat only what I obtain myself. And these, the pretty ponies high in the stands? I earned this.
"Oh, my gorgeous mares and stallions! Such a meal you have all brought. But before I eat, allow me to repay your kindness. My gift to such a beautiful crowd!"
I set the microphone on the stand. I smiled as my bass levitated to me. My drummer took his place at his kit, my guitarist taking her place and smiling her trademark nod in my direction. I approached the mic stand once more, bass at the ready.
Our melody started with me giving my instrument a few long and lamenting plucks. Slow tempo at first, but I gradually raised the speed. And each minor increase to the speed of the sound brought a slightly new sound. The change was gradual, but not unnoticed. I changed it from its lament to a much harder, near aggressive sound.
The crowd began going wild. Then my drummer kicked in, his hard hitting percussion only serving to improve upon the sound I made. Then my guitarist. Oh the beauty of her guitar upon our music! The sound could make a mountain move, just to be nearer us. Our music becoming it's very life.
"All of my life... A dammed thing. A shame really, a mad mare's sick dream. But the suffering? I'd do it all again." I began to pour into the microphone. "For all of you? I'd be dammed again. A dance unending. The cycle repeating. I'd suffer all of it again just to hear your fucking screams!"
The crowd, if applause was a tidal wave before, they just flooded Equestria. They erupted in cheers and their shouts. Oh the love! The love. they practically became a fountain of the stuff!
"With your loving devotion, my body never goes unfed! You know what I am and yet here you stand, just to hear my band! All my younger years spent worrying about this moment, yet here I am. Am mare with her desires met. A pleasure I'd share with you all if I could!" I continued on, the lyrics whipping the fans into a frenzy. I myself felt the usual adrenaline rush starting to kick in.
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The set ended and I feasted. Oh! The sweet love and spicy lust, what they do to me! I met the fans after, signing autographs, taking pictures, surprising random fans by appearing behind them. Some were familiar to me, the rest were always new faces. Ah... The reprieve I felt around them.
They really were worth all that suffering. A changeling that wanted to be a Rock star? That was rare. The fact she has an earth pony on drums and a Pegasus on guitar? Nearest thing to impossible the universe had. And the fans I made? That WE made? Not how things usually unfold.
If only the locust queen knew of this! She could have fed her people without having to get banished.
I blew a stand of my neon blue hair from my eyes as I cantered back to my hotel.
I greeted every fan along the way, grateful for the extra meals they provided me. I picked up some hay burgers and fries for my band mates. Their sodas and food in hold, I went to the nearest liquor store and got them their brandy and my own choice of whiskey.
I practically skipped to the hotel. We decided that we would choose affordable. While we could argue that ANY hotel was affordable, a decent motel 9 was more than sufficient. We each had our own beds, a surprising feat, considering your average overnight stay has at most two beds a room. Upon entering our room, I set their food and alcohol upon a bedside table to not interrupt their card game. I popped mine open and sat upon the bed. Taking a sizable drink, I began to feel that little extra good I would no doubt need in order to sleep. Ah... Sleep...
They set upon their food and booze in a near frenzy.
"Sorry I was so long getting back guys. Lots of fans to greet along the way." I said.
"Oh, it's nuffin', love! Gots to be polite and the like, right?" Frea, my guitarist from Trottingham, said from amongst the ravenous group.
The drummer nodded in agreement, and they continued eating.
"So, ma chere, where do we set upon next, ey?" The creole drummer, Jasper asked.
"Where are we now?" I asked, having genuinely forgotten.
"Las Pegasus, mefinks." Frea added.
"Oh, yes. Canterlot." I returned.
Frea and Jasper shared a look.
"Hey hey hey! None of that! We were actually requested there by our lady Luna! Her sister DOES know about my existence and is okay with me, sorry, US, going for a concert." I defended, knowing that they were thinking about the Locust Queen, Chrysalis.
They shrugged and continued to eat. I looked at the band shirts we made, but only wear on special occasions. The band name was imprinted upon my mind as a fell unconscious. Swarm.
"I'm sitting here with the lead singer of the new hit band, 'Swarm'. Sulfer, pleasure to meet you! How are you?" Asked the interviewer from the channel six news.
"I'm fine. And yourself?" I returned to the bubblegum pink mare.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I want to ask: rumor has it your father died recently, and you're still on tour. Is there any truth to that?"
"Every word of it. I dare not leave the fans."
She looked genuinely horrified. An emotion, I might add, that makes me recoil to smell.
"But, miss Sulfer, if that's true, why aren't you leaving the tour to attend his funeral? Why aren't you in mourning?"
"If you get traumatized by death, you hold onto an ideal that gets the world nowhere. To allow a natural and unstoppable force to damage your emotions... That's a sign of the weak. You can allow love and the loss there of to hurt, sure. It was a betrayal of trust. But to be so shocked by and horrified of death? If you let death bother you, you're going to have a bad time. There is no stopping it. There is only embracing it's inevitability. To celebrate it. To know the 'Dearly Departed' are no longer suffering... It's hard for me to feel pain. To miss them. I think it's selfish. They aren't suffering from anything any more. I'm happy for them."
That dammed emotion again. Much more and I'd have to leave. I love my fans, but a mare can only take so much, y'know?
"Miss Sulfer, the things you say!"
"The things I say aren't meant for you. They are meant for those worthy of them. The outcasts, the downtrodden, the lonely, those society would rather step on than help. Not you."
"That seems rather rude..."
"You may call it rude. But it's no more rude then you judging me for my opinions or your utter horror at it. The smell of that dreaded emotion rolls off of you in waves and it offends my sense of smell. It absolutely reeks. I can't stand it. But I didn't say anything because I was being polite. But a mare can only take so much. I thank you for this interview, but it's over. I've got fans to meet, gigs to plan, and a bass to tune. In that order."
And the clip of my interview ended. I got up and walked away from my seat. I walked towards that filled stadium. Towards the throng of heartbeats. The sounds of hooves coming together. They saw it. They saw the interview. Uncut and unedited. The love hit me in waves. Such a sweet scent, and a meal worth waiting for.
I decided a little showing off was earned. I nodded to Jasper and Frea. In unison, we took large drinks from our whisky. Holding it in our mouths, me and Frea flew at each other and made an X pattern. We flew back and picked up Jasper. We flew into the air and threw Jasper high. We spit out the liquor as he fell. He began to make a stream with his as we caught him. I brought out a match and struck it. A mere touch of flame was all it took. It became a flame thrower. The heat ignited the falling drops, and we rained fire on the stage.
We quickly took our place amongst the rain of fire (we rigged the sprinklers above the stage to continue to spew alcohol. Don't worry, it burned out to quickly to actually hit, much less burn us. The fans were safe, because if anything did happen, they still had water.).
And we began to dance and play. We played amongst the fire and danced within the flames. And the crowd loved it. Ah... Love...